1. Motown was founded by Berry Gordy, Jr., who was once a professional boxer before the U.S. Army draft for the Korean War.
2. Gordy borrowed $800 dollars from his father in 1959 to start Motown. He then released Marv Johnson’s song, “Come to Me.”
3. Motown’s founder, Berry Gordy, is a producer and songwriter. His first group and first million-selling act was The Miracles.
4. Gordy wrote or co-wrote over 200 songs for Motown’s Jobete music catalog, consisting of approximately 15,000 songs.
6. Motown label signed various big name artists, including The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Jimmy Ruffin, The Contours, The Four Tops, Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Commodores, the Velvelettes, Martha and the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder, and of course, The Jackson 5.
7. In 1966, Berry Gordy refused to sign The Jackson Five because he didn’t want to work with any more children. It was Gladys Knight who persuaded him to change his mind a year later.
8. The biggest-selling Motown singles in the UK were “I Just Called To Say I Love You” by Stevie Wonder, and “Hello” by Lionel Richie.
9. Although Motown continued to produce major hits throughout the 1970s and 1980s by top-rated artists, such as The Jacksons, Rick James, Lionel Richie, and long-term signings, Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson, the record company was no longer the major force it used to be.
10. Gordy sold his interests in Motown Records to MCA and Boston Ventures on June 28, 1988.
